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G'Day Melbourne
"G'Day Melbourne" is the fourth episode of Season 3, and overall the 24th produced hour of . It originally aired on May 7, 2017. Plot Kevin and Nora travel to Australia, where she continues to track down the masterminds of an elaborate con, while he catches a glimpse of an unexpected face from the past, forcing him to confront the traumatic events of three years earlier. Analysis Recurring Themes * Memories: Kevin recalls shoving young Patti into the well as Nora reads Matt’s chronicle of the events of “International Assassin.” While reading Matt’s book, Kevin has flashes of seeing John yelling shortly after Evie’s “Departure” in “A Matter of Geography”; of confronting Patti in the woods, returning to Virgil’s house, and drinking the poison, all in “A Most Powerful Adversary”; and of Kevin on the karaoke stage in “I Live Here Now.” Cultural References * Nora says she has Global Entry, a US Customs and Border Patrol service that allows pre-approved travelers to receive expedited clearance upon arrival in the US, as well as access to expedited screening via TSA PreCheck when leaving the country for certain international destinations. * Daniah is holding a sign reading “Surah 81” in the background of the G’Day Melbourne broadcast. This refers to the eighty-first sura (or chapter) of the Quran, which describes signs of the coming day of judgment, in keeping with the season’s apocalyptic themes.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-Takwir * Dr. Bekker says to tell Dr. Van Eeghen that Finland won the World Cup. This is either a difference from our world, or perhaps more likely a cruel joke (Dr. Bekker does not seem to have much respect for Dr. Van Eeghen). In our world, Finland’s national football team has infamously never even qualified for a finals tournament of the World Cup. * Nora references Jesus Christ Superstar, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1970 stage musical based on the life of Christ. Trivia * The Crown Central Melbourne exterior and hallways were shot at the Park Hyatt Melbourne, although the exterior is actually the side exit. The hotel room interior was a set, due to the fire and water effects. * Kevin having trouble turning the hotel room TV off, and him thinking Evie is communicating with him through the TV, calls back to Kevin Sr.’s appearances in “International Assassin.” Likewise, Kevin Sr. saying at the end of the episode that he saw Kevin Jr. on TV is an inversion of "International Assassin." * The G’Day Melbourne morning show is fictional. (Coincidentally, there was a morning show entitled Good Morning Melbourne which ran from 1981 to 1988 on Network Ten.) * Livinia Nixon, who plays the female morning show host Pam Jolly, is in fact a popular Australian host and weather presenter on the GTV-9 network. * Bruce, the G’Day Melbourne host, says the theme of this year’s Spring Fashion Ball was “under the sea,” continuing the season’s flood references. * The Melbourne Spring Fashion Ball does not appear to be an actual event. Melbourne is well-known for its fashion scene, and in particular for its famed Fashion Week, which typically takes place from the end of August into September, about a month before this episode takes place. * Ironically, if the viewer freeze frames Matt’s book when Kevin is reading it in the hotel room, much of it is about Kevin going to Laurie in “A Most Powerful Adversary” and Laurie trying to tell Kevin that he is suffering a delusion. Although Matt’s text is dismissive of Laurie, claiming that ”her knowledge of the mind had limited her knowledge of the spirit,” later events in this episode make it seem that Laurie might well have been correct. * Chief Inspector Kevin Yarborough’s hometown Makarra appears to be fictional, like Kurripa in the prior episode (as well as Mapleton and Jarden). * Rather oddly, fire trucks materialize behind Pam in the presumably stock G’Day Melbourne backdrop (they can be seen when she asks Georgie the pancake chef if he is ready, and they are not present in the earlier identical shot). In addition to foreshadowing the ending of the episode, it is possible that the fire trucks are not actually there and are an early hint of Kevin’s deteriorating mental state (calling back to the firemen responding to the hotel in “International Assassin”). * The more potentially interesting/strange signs on display in the background of the pancake cook-off include: “Is the grass greener on the other side?”; “Save me” with a drawing of a whale; “Free hugs”; “Kiss me Bruca” (presumably referring to G’Day Melbourne co-host Bruce Quartermain); “Give us the truth” (with a number 7); a sign depicting the “all-seeing-eye” pyramid (a symbol often associated with Freemasonry and various conspiracy theories) beaming people up into space, with captions that appear to read “We are not alone” and “They were taken”; and a simple sheet of paper with “Always on me” handwritten on it. A woman Kevin shoves past wears a T-shirt with several handwritten slogans on it, including: what appears to be the word “Lckin,” “U Melbourne,” “Dog Beer Ute Misses,” “A bad day huntin’ beats a good day workin’,” and “Bucks & Boars” (the latter is the mascot for the University of Melbourne). * The man at the bus stop suggests that the mother could run off, leaving Nora with the baby. In “International Assassin,” Patti claims this happened to her on the campaign trail in Iowa. * The G'Day Melbourne studio location was shot in Melbourne's Federation Square. * The graffiti-covered alley where Kevin chases “Evie“ is Melbourne’s Hosier Lane. Since American law requires that any graffiti shown onscreen be cleared with the artist, the episode was shot from angles that rendered most of the work indistinguishable, with the show’s art department covering some pieces with their own papered-on graffiti. The graffiti artists work so quickly that some of the show’s stand-in graffiti got tagged by real graffiti artists.https://www.vulture.com/2017/05/leftovers-location-scouting-iconic-melbourne-spots.html * The "creepy" location where Nora meets Dr. Eden and Dr. Bekker is the Younghusband Wool Stores warehouse outside Melbourne. * Dr. Eden speaks in Danish when not conversing in English, whereas Dr. Bekker speaks in Russian (presumably they understand each other, but are more comfortable speaking in their respective native tongues). See here for a rough translation. * Kevin requesting a book with the rather alarming (when coupled with his erratic behavior) title Assassins is an obvious callback to his chosen profession in “International Assassin,” an experience which seems to be particularly on his mind throughout this episode. * Daniah (at Laurie’s instruction) says, “There is no family,” a G.R. tenet previously stated by Patti in “B.J. and the A.C.” and by Tom in “I Live Here Now.” * Dr. Van Eeghen, the inventor of the LADR machine, is named after series editor Henk Van Eeghen.https://www.vulture.com/2017/06/leftovers-finale-behind-the-scenes-exclusive.html * Nora gets asked the same question the man who self-immolated in “Crazy Whitefella Thinking” was asked. Interestingly, Nora and the man give opposite answers, yet both are rejected. Damon Lindelof has suggested that the scientists are not looking for a specific verbal answer, but rather are measuring attachment: "Both of them gave answers that suggested to the questioners that they were still attached."https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/the-leftovers-finale-damon-lindelof-recap-review/ * It is ironic that Kevin and Nora’s final argument is in part about having a baby. The first thing Nora ever said to Kevin in “B.J. and the A.C.” was, “What’s up with the baby?” when Kevin was carrying the Jesus baby doll. * The beeping fire alarm, evacuation, and responding firefighters at the hotel call back to “International Assassin.” Music * "This Love Is Over" by Ray LaMontagne & the Pariah Dogs (main title) * "Celestial Blues" by Andy Bey (Nora and Kevin reunite in the Austin airport after passing through security) * Rigoletto, Act I Scene 2: Gualtier Malde - Caro nome che il mio cor (Gilda), composed by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Alida Ferrarina & the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Kevin and Nora's first scene at the hotel) * Sanctus, D. 872, composed by Franz Schubert, performed by the Choir of Trinity College & Cambridge (Kevin reads Matt's book in the hotel room and has flashbacks) (this piece has been used as a recurring theme relating to faith since early season 2, particularly in relation to Matt: see "Orange Sticker," "No Room at the Inn," "I Live Here Now," "The Book of Kevin," and "Crazy Whitefella Thinking") * "It Serves You Right to Suffer" (The Avener Rework) by John Lee Hooker & The Avener (Nora gives the woman's baby back, Kevin arrives at G'Day Melbourne) * "Take on Me" by a-ha (played on piano by Dr. Eden; the original plays over the closing scene and end credits) * "Take on Me" by Genghis Barbie (Nora gets into the crate, Kevin arrives at the library) * "A Blessing" by Max Richter (Laurie shows Kevin that he is experiencing a delusion) * La traviata, Act. II: Dite alla giovine - Non amarlo ditegli, composed by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Joan Sutherland, Matteo Manuguerra & the National Philharmonic Orchestra (Nora and Kevin's fight in the hotel room) References Category:Season 3 Category:Episodes